Yes! I know, this should be Episode #3. I supposed to take you around Piran and the rest of the Slovenian Coastline. But last weekend we decided to make a fast Escape to the mountains and get to know the Savinja Alps a little bit more. I couldn't wait longer to share our adventure. 

Here we go! 

Bonus Chapter 

After 30 minutes driving through countryside roads, enjoying the views and fresh air, we reached to a village called LUČE (light in Slovene language ) which was our first stop.

 

We passed through this village few times before. Somehow we never took time to really appreciate those old houses and the river.

  

So quiet and peaceful places.... I thought we're alone until I heard some kids playing by the river.

Along with this quietness we found a very old master piece. It's a Preša (a press)...people used to make wine with it. Well, the black container is not a part of it...it's just a container :)

I wanted to know more about this village.... So, I was looking for any sign of info or someone who could tell me anything about this village. 

We did it!....We found what we were looking for.

The Legend of Luče!

The are where the village of Luče is situated today was once covered with pastures, where the so-called Žalik žene (mythological beings from Raduha — a mountain nearby) looked after their sheep. One night the sheep got lost in the surrounding woods. The Žalik žene made pieces of kindling, burned them to make light (in the Slovene language: luč) and went looking for their lost sheep night after night. When the pastures became populated, the Žalik žene fled to the mountains and hid in a cave. However, their sheep stayed down in the valley, reproduced and became the most beautiful and the most numerous in the Savinja Valley. To show their gratitude and to pay tribute to the Žalik žene, the locals named the place Luče.

Let's keep going....

I was so eager to reach our the destination but at the same time I wanted to stop everywhere to enjoy the nature.

We were driving in silence and admired everything on the way. And then...this amazing view opened in front of us..... 

2 minutes later I said Mi amor!....you should stop the car cuz we have to take some pictures.

We went a bit closer to look for a model willing to pose....... and we got it...one member of this family was not shy so we took advantage of this ; ) 

Btw, these hairy cows are highland cattle...a Scottish cattle breed...in case you were wandering ;)

Then, 

Me: Let's continue mi amor.

Tjaša: Wait!.. wait!... one more picture!

Me: Sure! one more picture. (You know...happy wife, happy life;)

 

So,that was it for the day..... we arrived to our lovely house and prepared our plan for the next day. 

We just had 2 days to explore some of the hiking trails and waterfalls. Not a lot but enough to make nice memories.

Let's go to Slap Rinka.... 

We choose to go to Slap Rinka (Slap means waterfall in Slovene language). A 1 hour hike through the Savinja Alps. I knew it will took us a bit longer because of our photo - stops ;)

 First stop was to say hi to some friends on a touristic farm nearby.

Ok then,

Focus on the path ahead..... 4 km of nature and fresh air before reaching Rinka Waterfall. 

Very nice walking trail, full of info about the flowers and trees..... even educational games to play with kids 

After I learnt about some trees and seasonal flowers, we continue our way to an open place..... It is a river bed which is full just when it's raining heavily. Of course we took some pics and continue.....

As we got into the bushes again.... we did a Selfie-stop for the memories ;)

The energy was soooo nice..... We were just enjoying to be between those big trees and watching how the sun is passing through.....

We continued walking for 10 minutes more and saw these signs. Just 10 minutes to Slap Rinka, but we also began to think about food...a traditional Slovenian lunch  in Okrešelj. 1 hour more of hiking adventure didn't sound to much for us.  

Slap Rinka or Rinka Waterfall

 https://youtu.be/cFITIm2MLGQ 

Here is a bit more info about this nature's master piece: 

The Savinja river is fed by water from several springs below Okrešelj cirque. The first few hundred meters of the watercourse consist of rocky stages in the form of waterfalls and rapids, after which the water drops over the tectonic-glacial stage. The semicircular overhanging slope, over which a powerful jet of water falls freely into a pool 90 meters below, is of solid limestone breccia or breccia conglomerate solidly bound together a reddish-brown material. Only after heavy rainfalls does the water continue to flow on the surface below the waterfalls; otherwise it soon disappear underground into the gravelly dry channel of Kotovec. 6 km downstream, in the lower part of the valley it comes to the surface again, in the Črna spring. 

(source: Information point along the trail )

Here you can see how the waterfalls almost disappear in Winter due to the lack of water and the strong wind

On the video production....

Here is another one

Oh! I forgot to tell you about the small Bar...... we didn't go up there because we tried to stayed away from the tourist crowd....

   

Yes! It's up there!

Look at this one from down there (next to the waterfall)

Last winter we were up there and took this picture with everything frozen (this is my father in law down there)

Here is another summer/winter (last one and then we move on)

My stomach began to complain while taking pictures so we sat down to eat some fruits before continue the last part of the hike to Okrešelj. A perfect time to admire the nature and enjoy with my wify. And as usually she made me laugh with just one sentence: Mi amor, I know you have the Angel falls in Venezuela, but fuck that...just look around and see all this beauty.

After getting energy from those fruits: another Selfie stop

Now we can keep walking up....

 There was quite a traffic jam for few meters where the trail got a bit harder.... Then, I saw a couple coming down and as I let them pass I realized that it was a nice graphic definition of a Super Dad! 

Shhhhhhh! the baby is sleeping....

 

So, we continued going up and enjoying the views... and we were getting closer and closer to the top of the waterfall (Slap Rinka remember?). Another place where we had to make a picture-stop for sure!

This one is one of my favorite (I was looking down to the people under the waterfall and Tjašika got me in the right moment)

Nice shot... Isn't it? 

By that moment I wasn't joking anymore.... I was hungry! 

I said: Mi amor, let's move faster because I'm hungryyyyy!!!

She said: Ok ok ok! but we are almost there tranquilo! (then, she smiled and kept taking pictures)

We found some man-made sculptures as well (Stone tower: the balance of nature). Impressive...

We did it!..... Wait a minute!..... Where is Okrešelj?...Where is my food?

I realized that we made a little mistake.... We should turned to the left, oops!

But this mistake took us to this amazing view and a peaceful path where you can continue to other trails for few hours more. 

Naaah! It's enough adventure for today and we wanted to eat something right now!

We got into the right path and found a few stairs to see this.....

 

Welcome to Okrešelj

Then, my happiness started to increase.... ;)

I wanted to eat traditional Slovene food so that's what I asked for... the menu was full of choices so I asked my Slovene lady to help me with the language. 

Few minutes later I changed my t-shirt and decided to get pasulj (white beans soup). She got gobova juha (mushroom soup) and blueberry+raspberry strudel, of course ;). Actually she got two of them...just to make sure if it's really tasty ;)

  

And we focused on the food..... No more pictures no more talking for a while hehehe (hungry people).....

After this amazing food and some resting time, she went around to take pictures of the restaurant and people who were there resting or getting ready to go back down.

There was another Super Dad getting ready to go down with his family (This time the baby was still awake)

I was there sitting, looking around all those nice views. Thinking about asking for another beer and maybe another strudel to get more energy to go back (yea, I know...good excuse to get another beer or something sweet). 

Then, out of nowhere a bearded guy approached to me talking in Slovene (very fast and couldn't understand anything). He was carrying a sort of gold medal — I didn't see that until he was next to me —  

Tjašika stopped taking pictures and came to be my translator.... So I started to get the whole situation with the guy. He was part of the Staff of the place and wanted to give me that medal on behalf of Okrešelj. Everything was very fast but she got a good shot.

I looked around to see if someone else got gold medal. But nop! 

Just me!

But, I was also the only person from outside Europe visiting that day and Yes! the only black guy in the whole region probably hehehe.

I earned my medal!!! Also by trying to talk in Slovene with people there ;)

We went inside to try to talk with the staff about Steemit and take some pictures. They were busy and people were in the line waiting to order.

   

We waited few minutes then one of the guys, Matjaž, asked me to leave my name so we can contact on fb and have a better conversation because at that moment was just impossible because of the work. So, I did it.

Then he jumped out and we posed for a fast picture to share on this post.... It was 2 seconds reaction and Tjašika had just one shot!

 

Matjaž went back inside to keep working and we went out to put everything in order and get ready to go down.

I also asked my personal photographer to take a special picture for me.... ;)

Me: Picture with my Venezuelan Flag....... Check!

Tjašika: Now we're good to go!

We started to walk and saying goodbye to some people we met there. 

Then, we heard someone say: Wait! Let's take a picture with the view!

I said: Of course let's do it!

Thank you very much Okrešelj

Was simply amazing to had the opportunity to visit this place on top of the mountain, eat delicious food and meet such a nice people — they even gave me a gold medal Awesome! — 

It took us 2 hours to reach our lovely home because there were less people on the trail at that moment (around 4pm)

Of course we took few more pictures on the way down ;)

And.... we came back to enjoy the view that gave us motivation and energy 6 hours earlier that day when we started this adventure.

UFFF!...... What an adventure hike we had!

We learned, met nice people, breathed fresh air, pushed our muscles, tried traditional Slovenian food and even got a gold medal....... We 100% enjoyed!

Steemian friend,

I hope you felt the fresh air and the cold water, the perfume of the forest and the energy from people. All those elements I wanted to stamp on each picture and word that took a place on this post.

In this way we come to the end of this Bonus Chapter.

Now it is your turn to share the love.....

This series will continue and you're more than welcome to come on board, just follow @handmade and get ready for more adventure.

Thanks for reading...

@handmade 

Spreading The Good Vibes...